I started studying for the OAT three months before my exam, but I wasn’t very focused as I was passively watching the videos and just trying to get through the notes as quickly as possible. I also didn’t follow their study plan since I wanted to focus more on the subjects that I was weaker at. I mainly studied biology and organic chemistry in the first month, as there were some topics that I have never learned before.
Study Materials:
OATBooster (10/10): I only used this to learn the content, and I think that’s all you need for the test. They cover exactly what you need to know, so I would highly recommend this.
Organic Chemistry Tutor and Chad’s videos (8/10): Their videos are very helpful for concepts that you are struggling to understand or remember. They break it down in a simple way, so it is a lot easier to understand. I used both of their videos for physics concepts, and Organic Chemistry Tutor’s videos for organic chemistry.
OATBootcamp’s free tests (7/10): I didn’t purchase their membership, so I only took the first practice tests for each subject. They helped pinpoint which topics I still needed to work on.
Kaplan’s free diagnostic test (5/10): I took this before starting my studying to see which concepts I would need to focus on. I also took it closer to my test, and while it helpful to see different types of questions, it wasn’t representative of the real OAT.
Study Strategies:
Biology: make flashcards on cheatsheets, focus on high-yield concepts first, use bio bits to pinpoint what you need to work on
Gen chem: do all the question banks, make flashcards on the purely memorization topics (VSEPR, formulas, strong acids/bases, solubility rules, oxidation state rules)
Organic chem: do all the question banks multiple times, use Organic Chemistry Tutor's videos to learn the more difficult concepts, understand how the mechanism actually happens (protonation or deprotonation w/ an acid or base, negatively charged nucleophile "attacks" the electrophile, electron pushing, etc.). You'll eventually notice patterns and will be able to figure out the first step based on the reactants.
Physics: do all the question banks, make sure you actually understand every concept, practice reasoning out problems instead of calculating right away, make flashcards for formulas and mirror/lens rules, use Chad's videos for difficult concepts
QR: do all the question banks, make flashcards for formulas, look for practice problems for the concepts you're having trouble with
Test Day: I would highly recommend arriving around 30 mins early. I thought that was way too early, but I was in line for 15 mins and didn't get in the room until less than 5 minutes before the start time. The test center gave me 2 laminated sheets of grid paper and 2 dry-erase markers. They didn't give me anything to erase with even after I asked for it, and just told me to raise my hand to ask for more sheets. I ended up asking for 2 more sheets during my break, so I didn't waste any time.
The layout of the test was exactly like OATbooster, except the periodic table took up the entire screen, and even though you could adjust the size, it didn't show the full table when you minimized it. The lag was fine during the Natural Sciences section, about half a second when you move to the next question. It got so much worse during physics and QR, and lagged for around 5 seconds, but I don't think this time was counted so you don't lose much time from the lag.
Test Content:
Biology (OB avg = 370, OAT = 400): I honestly forgot a lot of the questions already, but I remember speeding through it, so almost all of the questions were not tricky and were basically recall. There were a couple odd ones about taxonomy and genetics, but you can just narrow it down to 2 of the options, and then use logic to guess. Most common topics: genetics, evolution, and cell biology.
Gen Chem (OB avg = 380, OAT = 400): Pretty straightforward as well. There were a mix of calculation and conceptual questions. Almost all the calculation questions were plug-and-chug, if you knew the formula. Some of the conceptual questions were trickier, but nothing was surprising about this section. Most common topics: thermodynamics, stoichiometry, gases, kinetics.
Organic Chem (OB avg = 370, OAT = 390): I thought I was really familiar witht this section so I didn't review it at all the day before my test. This was much simpler than I expected, which may have been why I got more wrong LOL. There weren't many reaction questions, and the ones that they did have were all single-step. Most common topics: Grignard reagents, substitution and elimination, alkene/alkyne reactions, EAS, carboxylic acid reactions.
RC (OB avg = 390, OAT = 400): Definitely have to think more for these questions than for booster, but it still wasn't extremely difficult. You can usually narrow it down to 2 options, and then compare both to the text to try to match it up to the correct option. I actually used the search and destroy method for most of my studying, but after reading others' experiences, I decided to read the whole text first while highlighting the important parts, and then answer the questions. There was no lag when highlighting and a barely noticeable lag when scrolling through the text. I would definitely recommend highlighting instead of search and destroy as most of the questions are not as simple as booster.
Physics (OB avg = 340, OAT = 400): This was a journey. The first question stunned me, and I had to sit there for 30 seconds just to re-read it. Even though it looked like a simple kinematics problem, when I wrote down the values, it took me almost 10 mins to solve it. Most of the questions were conceptual, or a mix of calculations and conceptual. Some of them had values but could be answered intuitively. I got tripped up on those questions and wasted a lot of time. My advice for these questions would be to stay calm, read the question carefully, think about which concept(s) it involves, and write down your thoughts to reason it out. Looking back at it, this section really wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Many of the questions gave the values and asked for relationship between 2 variables and could simply be answered by looking at the formula. Most common topics: DC circuits, fluid statics, kinematics, dynamics, statics.
QR (OB avg = 400, OAT = 400): I started this section off a little distressed because of physics, but I think this was the most similar to the booster tests. Most of the questions were straightforward and required simple math. I started running out of time because I was tired at this point, so for some of the questions, I narrowed it down to the 2 most likely answers and checked to see which one was right. Most common topics: probability, algebra, quantitative comparison, applied math.
Overall, I would say this test isn't easy, but it isn't hard either. If you have a thorough understanding of all the important topics, you'll be good. Don't be afraid of getting stuff wrong when studying; that's how you know what you have to work on. Even though you may want to procrastinate learning the more difficult topics, it will pay off. Remember that all the information is already in your brain, so don't worry, stay calm, and just work through it. Good luck to everyone who will be taking the OAT!
Study Materials:
OATBooster (10/10): I only used this to learn the content, and I think that’s all you need for the test. They cover exactly what you need to know, so I would highly recommend this.
Organic Chemistry Tutor and Chad’s videos (8/10): Their videos are very helpful for concepts that you are struggling to understand or remember. They break it down in a simple way, so it is a lot easier to understand. I used both of their videos for physics concepts, and Organic Chemistry Tutor’s videos for organic chemistry.
OATBootcamp’s free tests (7/10): I didn’t purchase their membership, so I only took the first practice tests for each subject. They helped pinpoint which topics I still needed to work on.
Kaplan’s free diagnostic test (5/10): I took this before starting my studying to see which concepts I would need to focus on. I also took it closer to my test, and while it helpful to see different types of questions, it wasn’t representative of the real OAT.
Study Strategies:
Biology: make flashcards on cheatsheets, focus on high-yield concepts first, use bio bits to pinpoint what you need to work on
Gen chem: do all the question banks, make flashcards on the purely memorization topics (VSEPR, formulas, strong acids/bases, solubility rules, oxidation state rules)
Organic chem: do all the question banks multiple times, use Organic Chemistry Tutor's videos to learn the more difficult concepts, understand how the mechanism actually happens (protonation or deprotonation w/ an acid or base, negatively charged nucleophile "attacks" the electrophile, electron pushing, etc.). You'll eventually notice patterns and will be able to figure out the first step based on the reactants.
Physics: do all the question banks, make sure you actually understand every concept, practice reasoning out problems instead of calculating right away, make flashcards for formulas and mirror/lens rules, use Chad's videos for difficult concepts
QR: do all the question banks, make flashcards for formulas, look for practice problems for the concepts you're having trouble with
Test Day: I would highly recommend arriving around 30 mins early. I thought that was way too early, but I was in line for 15 mins and didn't get in the room until less than 5 minutes before the start time. The test center gave me 2 laminated sheets of grid paper and 2 dry-erase markers. They didn't give me anything to erase with even after I asked for it, and just told me to raise my hand to ask for more sheets. I ended up asking for 2 more sheets during my break, so I didn't waste any time.
The layout of the test was exactly like OATbooster, except the periodic table took up the entire screen, and even though you could adjust the size, it didn't show the full table when you minimized it. The lag was fine during the Natural Sciences section, about half a second when you move to the next question. It got so much worse during physics and QR, and lagged for around 5 seconds, but I don't think this time was counted so you don't lose much time from the lag.
Test Content:
Biology (OB avg = 370, OAT = 400): I honestly forgot a lot of the questions already, but I remember speeding through it, so almost all of the questions were not tricky and were basically recall. There were a couple odd ones about taxonomy and genetics, but you can just narrow it down to 2 of the options, and then use logic to guess. Most common topics: genetics, evolution, and cell biology.
Gen Chem (OB avg = 380, OAT = 400): Pretty straightforward as well. There were a mix of calculation and conceptual questions. Almost all the calculation questions were plug-and-chug, if you knew the formula. Some of the conceptual questions were trickier, but nothing was surprising about this section. Most common topics: thermodynamics, stoichiometry, gases, kinetics.
Organic Chem (OB avg = 370, OAT = 390): I thought I was really familiar witht this section so I didn't review it at all the day before my test. This was much simpler than I expected, which may have been why I got more wrong LOL. There weren't many reaction questions, and the ones that they did have were all single-step. Most common topics: Grignard reagents, substitution and elimination, alkene/alkyne reactions, EAS, carboxylic acid reactions.
RC (OB avg = 390, OAT = 400): Definitely have to think more for these questions than for booster, but it still wasn't extremely difficult. You can usually narrow it down to 2 options, and then compare both to the text to try to match it up to the correct option. I actually used the search and destroy method for most of my studying, but after reading others' experiences, I decided to read the whole text first while highlighting the important parts, and then answer the questions. There was no lag when highlighting and a barely noticeable lag when scrolling through the text. I would definitely recommend highlighting instead of search and destroy as most of the questions are not as simple as booster.
Physics (OB avg = 340, OAT = 400): This was a journey. The first question stunned me, and I had to sit there for 30 seconds just to re-read it. Even though it looked like a simple kinematics problem, when I wrote down the values, it took me almost 10 mins to solve it. Most of the questions were conceptual, or a mix of calculations and conceptual. Some of them had values but could be answered intuitively. I got tripped up on those questions and wasted a lot of time. My advice for these questions would be to stay calm, read the question carefully, think about which concept(s) it involves, and write down your thoughts to reason it out. Looking back at it, this section really wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Many of the questions gave the values and asked for relationship between 2 variables and could simply be answered by looking at the formula. Most common topics: DC circuits, fluid statics, kinematics, dynamics, statics.
QR (OB avg = 400, OAT = 400): I started this section off a little distressed because of physics, but I think this was the most similar to the booster tests. Most of the questions were straightforward and required simple math. I started running out of time because I was tired at this point, so for some of the questions, I narrowed it down to the 2 most likely answers and checked to see which one was right. Most common topics: probability, algebra, quantitative comparison, applied math.
Overall, I would say this test isn't easy, but it isn't hard either. If you have a thorough understanding of all the important topics, you'll be good. Don't be afraid of getting stuff wrong when studying; that's how you know what you have to work on. Even though you may want to procrastinate learning the more difficult topics, it will pay off. Remember that all the information is already in your brain, so don't worry, stay calm, and just work through it. Good luck to everyone who will be taking the OAT!
